Estimates reaction: The Irish Senior Citizens' Parliament has called for the 200,000 people who will receive the Government's new-style medical card to be allowed to choose between having free GP services or free medication and drugs.
The group made its proposal to the Minister for Finance, Mr Cowen yesterday at a meeting to discuss its pre-budget submission.
On Thursday the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Ms Harney announced the establishment of a new doctor-only medical card which would provide for free GP consultations, but leave patients having to pay for drug and medication themselves.
Around 200,000 people will be covered by the new-style doctor-only cards under Government spending plans for the health services, with the traditional medical card being extended to 300,000 people.
The Senior Citizens' Parliament welcomed the proposed extension of the medical card scheme in Thursday's Estimates, but said that the dual system could work to the disadvantage of certain low-income groups
The group's chief executive Mr Michael O'Halloran said: "The meeting was friendly and the minister listened carefully to what we had to say. He said he would look favourably at our suggestions, so hopefully we can achieve our aims. The old tend to live on very modest incomes and allowing them to get their medicines on the medical card would help them enormously."
Mr Halloran said that the most vulnerable and worst off senior citizens were women and the winter was a "particularly bad time for them".
"More old people die in Ireland die from hypothermia than in Finland, which has a much harsher climate."
The Senior Citizen's Parliament also called for increases in the living alone allowance, the fuel allowance and the over 80s allowance which haven't been raised in several years.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said yesterday that the new doctor-only card could be introduced by the Government without new negotiations with general practitioners as it would be introduced on a means-tested basis.
The IMO welcomed the plans to increase medical card eligibility. However, the organisation is planning to ballot its GP members in the weeks ahead for industrial action in relation to disputes on a range of other issues with the Department of Health.